The Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has defended the Supreme Court’s failure to release the Certified True Copy (CTC) judgment on the appeal of the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.
Recall that the apex court had on October 26 dismissed the appeals of Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election for lacking in merit.
While the apex court released the CTC of its judgment on Atiku’s case almost a month after it delivered its ruling, the court has not released the same document on Obi’s case, prompting Obi and the Labour Party to raise an alarm over the court’s action.
But in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, the faction said some people are trying their best to impugn on the credibility of the justices of the apex court.
Arabambi said the Supreme Court refused to release the CTC of the ruling on Obi’s petition because its judgment in the appeal filed by the LP will abide by the judgment delivered in the PDP’s case.
He said the facts and arguments in the cases were the same, saying that it would serve no value for the apex court to write two judgments on facts and issues that are entirely the same.
The statement reads: “For the benefit of the general public, the Apapa-led National Working Committee of our great Party wishes to set the records straight as these political hawks are trying their best to impugn the credibility of the justices of the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court held that the judgment in the appeal filed by the Labour Party will abide by the judgment delivered in the PDP case.
The reason for this is very simple. The Supreme Court, having carefully considered all the issues raised by both parties in the two appeals, saw that they were the same.
The facts were the same and the arguments were even substantially the same. It will serve no utilitarian value for the court to write two judgments on facts and issues that are entirely the same.
The Supreme Court does not have to conduct special proceedings first to be able to do that. It’s a matter of procedure and having held that the Obi’s appeal will abide by the decision of Atiku’s case, this implies that the judgment delivered in Atiku also qualifies as Obi’s judgment.
There is no need in law for the court to prepare a different judgment for Obi or the Labour Party. It will be cosmetic surplusage for the court to prepare a different judgment for LP or Obi.
Please, Peter Obi and his followers should please be guided.”
